Wallace State (10-2) overcame an early 17-7 deficit, led by two at the half and limited the Patriots to only 18 points in the second half.

“It was a great second half for us. We guarded well and seemed a little looser offensively. We executed some things we needed to do,” said Wallace State coach John Meeks, whose team beat Wallace-Selma for the second time in less than three weeks. “This time of the year can be hard. The guys missed Thanksgiving with their families, and they’re thinking about Christmas. They’re taking exams right now. There’s just a lot of mentally taxing things going on right now, but I’m proud we are battling. We won ugly, but I guess it can be a sign you are a good team if you are winning ugly.”

Immanuel King scored 13 points for the Lions, Jaylen McCoy added nine and Darren Williams contributed eight off the bench.

Wallace-Selma got off to a hot start, racing out to an 11-2 lead five minutes into the game. The Patriots extended their lead to 18-9 with 12:27 left before the half.

Wallace State trimmed its deficit to 22-18 with 7:50 to go behind consecutive 3’s by Butler. King handed the Lions their first lead of the game, at 25-24, with a putback less than three minutes left before half.

Butler drained a 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining in the first half, giving Wallace State a 31-27 lead.

The Lions led 31-29 at intermission.

Wallace State pulled away quickly in the second half, using a 21-4 surge over the opening 10 minutes to earn a commanding 52-33 lead. Hill had six points during the run for the Lions, McCoy drilled a big 3-pointer and Butler converted a 3-point play.

Wallace-Selma never got within 18 points the rest of the way.

Butler scored 10 of his 16 points in the first half, hitting three 3-pointers.

“Kylen Butler seems to bail us out on possessions and just finds a way to make a big shot. We have a lot of guys who can step up and make plays and clutch shots,” Meeks said.

Zavieun Jackson led Wallace-Selma with 13 points in the loss, while Montego Hoskins and Anfernee Simmons each scored 11.

Wallace State’s men travel to Bryan (Tenn.) College on Monday before returning home on Dec. 12 to host Volunteer State.

Women’s basketball

Wallace-Selma 64, Wallace State 55

The Lady Patriots outscored Wallace State 27-9 in the fourth quarter, picking up a road victory over the Lady Lions at Tom Drake Coliseum.

Wallace State (1-7) sustained control until the fourth quarter. The Lady Lions, playing in their home opener, led 15-6 after the first quarter and pushed their first-half lead to 30-17 after Janese Richardson knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:45 to go before the break.

Keyasha Gordon extended Wallace State’s lead to 15 points with a layup with less than a minute remaining, and the Lady Lions led 35-22 at halftime.

Richardson handed Wallace State a 40-25 advantage with a 3-pointer halfway through the third, and the Lady Lions led 46-37 heading into the fourth quarter.

Wallace-Selma seized momentum in the final stanza. Ki’Onna Likely, the conference’s leading scorer, tied the game at 52-52 with 5:20 remaining in the game, and Frenika Craig gave the Lady Patriots a 54-51 advantage with 4:39 left for their first lead of the game.

Wallace-Selma followed with a 12-4 run to sweep the season series from Wallace State.

Hannah Vest led Wallace State in the loss with 14 points, Richardson poured in 12 points and Velencia Johnson and Jasmine Hollis scored six points apiece.